Dieter Feseke

Born in 1957 in the old central German city Salzwedel, Dieter Feseke, worked after graduation examination (pre-college 1975) and artisanal vocational training (1977/78) as a assistant painter and graphic designer in a large Berlin-based agency (expositions + fairs). From 1981 to 1985, his studies in visual communication at the FWG
Berlin - Schoeneweide culminated with a diploma in graphic design and typography. From 1985 to 1988 he worked in the graphics department of the DEWAG-agency of Berlin. There he led a graphic team in an exciting corporate design assignment: the cultural programme of the city anniversary BERLIN 750. This important anniversary in both parts of Berlin (east and west) encompassed a great deal of effort. In 1988 the graphics duo Detlef Fiedler and Dieter Feseke achieved the first prize at the corporate design competition of the new client BAUHAUS DESSAU. In the years 1984 to 1990, a crew of graphic designers worked under his leadership for the daily newspaper project at the prestigious world-music-event FESTIVAL OF THE POLITICAL SONG. In 1988/89 Feseke founded the influential graphic team GRAPPA with four partners. This happened prior to the political end of East Germany and before the fall of the Berlin Wall. At this time he was involved with the political opposition. In the 90s the GRAPPA team had experienced an extremely inspiring and moving development, by whose end (2002) four independent firms emerged: cyan (by 1993), blotto, umbra, and dor. Since 2003, Feseke has been a member of AGI (Alliance Graphique International). The firm, umbra + dor, was founded by Kerstin Baarman and Dieter Feseke in 2004. From 2003 to 2005, Feseke completed a short-term lectureship at the prestigious Leipzig ACADEMY OF VISUAL ARTS. Feseke’s oeuvre especially features work from the cultural sector: architecture, art, cinema, design, literature, music, dance and theatre.